Folding cylinder



June 24 192 HALLIWELL FOLDING CYLI NDER 5 sheets-sheen 1 d Mai-ch 28 1923 NVENE' June 24, 4"

J. J. HALLIWELL FOLDING CYLINDER Filed March 28. 19 3 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ame 24, 192%. 1,49%,106

.1. J. HALLIWELL.

FOLDING CYLI NDER Filed March 28. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet. 5

Patented lune 2d, 1924.

If S

insane T @F t E Q E JOHN J. HALLIXVELL, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO B. HOE AND 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING CYLINDER.

Application filed' March 28, 1923.

To all who-m iimay concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. HALLIWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, county of lVestchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cylinders, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of 10 the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in folding cylinders for high speed printing machines. 7 The rotary folders used in conjunction with high speed printing machines usually include a cylinder provided with a tucking blade which tucks off the sheet into the bite of pair of co-operating folding rolls. This class offolding cylinder is provided with suitable sheet taking devices, such as pins, which take the leading end of the web and carry it partially around the cylinder, a coacting cutting mechanism being employed for cutting off the sheet.

After the sheet has been carried to a given point the sheet is released from the pins and the tucking blade tucks off the sheet into the folding rolls. The sheet has been' released from the pins before it is tucked off to prevent tearing of the sheet. It frequently happens that after the sheet has been released by the pins and before it has been tucked into the bite of the folding rolls,

a slip of the sheet on the cylinder takes place, this slip varying with the speed at which the cylinder is rotating so that the fold does not always come at the right point in the sheet. Furthermore, it is desirable to employ these folding cylinders in folding off products of a differentnumber of plies.

It is the especial object of the present invention to provide an improved folding cylinder construction whereby the sheet is held on the cylinder against a slip during the time it is released from the pins and before it is tucked into the bite of the folding rolls, and which mechanism shall function to properly take care of a product having a varying number of plies, the construction being such that the holding means will automatically adjust themselves to different thicknesses of products passing thcrebetween.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and efficient construction Serial no. 628,191.

for effecting this and one which can be readily associated with folding mechanisms already constructed as well as with new structures.

Vit'h these and other objects not specifically referred to in view, the invention con sists in certain novel parts, arrangements and combinations, which will be fully described in connection with the accompany ing drawings, and the novel features thereafter pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a front view ofso much of a rotary folding mechanism and its associated parts as is su'flicient for an understanding of the invention, part of the framing being broken away and certain of the shaft being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a side view of the improved folding cylinder and certain co-operating parts.

Figures 3 to 6 inclusive are sectional viewsof the folding cylinder, certain of the parts beingbroken away showing the mechanism in different positions; Figure 8 showing the product released from the pins and tucked into the bite of the folding rolls; Figure 4 shows the sheet held by the pins before the folding blade comes into action; Figure 5 shows the parts in the position taken as the foldingblade starts to fold off the sheet; and Figure 6 shows the sheet just before it enters the bite of the folding o ls- Figure 7 is a detail the sp'riiigseats.

Figures is a detail sectional view thereof.

Referring now to these drawings, the parts of the mechanism are supported in framing 1 of any usualor suitable construction. The web WV is led from a printing machine not shown,- between the usual feeding rolls 2, 3 which act to feed the web forward, these rolls determining the, length of the sheet to be hereafter severed from the web, as is usual. Ifdesired a second web may be associated with the web W, this web pass,

ing' over a suitableguide roll 4. The webor webs then pass to the rotary folding mecha-- nism which, 11113116 particular construction illustrated, comprises a rotary folding cylp'la'n view of one of tion shown, a cutting cylinder 7 suitably mounted on a shaft 8, this cutting cylinder being provided with a cutting knife 9 which co-operates with the usual cutting woods 10 on the cylinder 5. In the particular coir struction illustrated, the cutting cylinder 7 may alsoact as a collecting cylinder where a collected product is desired, the cylinder vices shown are pins 14, these pins being carried on arms 15 mounted on shafts 16, these shafts being rocked to project the pins into the sheet path and to withdraw them therefrom in the usual manner, as by cam rolls 17 co-operating with a cam 18 shown in Fig. 2.

In accordance with the invention means are provided for holding the sheet against the cylinder so as to prevent any slip of the sheet between the time it is released from the pins and before it is tucked into the bite of the folding rolls, so that no matter what the speed of thecylinder the sheet always retains its correct position thereon, and the fold in the sheet will always come on the same predetermined line. lVhile the specific construction of these means may vary, the construction will be such that they will yield so as to automatically adjust themselves to products of vary ing number of plies, and the construction will be such, furthermore, that while they will readily yield to accommodate such different products, the products will be securely held. A preferred form of device for this purpose is as shown in the drawings and as illustrated there is provided at each end of the cylinder and just behind and closely adjacent to the pins yielding blocks 1.9, 20, these blocks having sheet engaging faces 21. The sheet engaging faces of these blocks are sufliciently long to engage the sheet the required time to hold it against a slip after it has been released from the pins and before it istucked into the rolls, and these blocks are mounted so as to yield to accommodate products of varying number of plies within the capacity of the folder. As shown, the blocks (see particularly Figs. 7 and 8) seat in recesses 22 in the cylinder wall against springs23, these springs seating in recesses12 and bearing against the'under surface of the blocks. The blocks are held in the recesses 22 in any suitable manner and, as shown, the blocks are provided at each end with reduced ends 25 which take under shoulders 26 formed in the cylinder wall.

(lo-operating with the yielding blocks is an abutment between which and the blocks the sheet passes, this abutment being arranged so that when the sheet is folded off by the folding blade and is nipped by the folding rolls the sheet will be freed from the pressure between the blocks and the abutment whereby it may be freely pulled away by the rolls. In the particular construction illustrated, there is provided an abutment in the form of a plurality of rolls 27 carried on a shaft 28 suitably journaled in the machine and driven by a gear 29 (see Fig. 1) from any suitable power source. These rolls 27 are provided with high points 30 between which and the blocks the sheets are nipped and prevented from slipping on the cylinder after the pins have been withdrawn from the sheets. As the rolls rotate the high points move away from the blocks and permit the sheet to be freely withdrawn by the folding off rolls. lVith this construction the sheet is firmly held against the cylinder and at the same timethe mechanism will adjust itself to automatically take care of products of varying number of plies.

In constructions embodying the invention in its best form a sheet cutting cylinder is employed cooperating with the rotary folding cylinder, and means are preferably provided to provide a device for assisting the pins or other sheet taking devices to ad vance the product past the cutting cylinder, as in certain cases there is a tendency for the sheet to drag as it gets between the folding cylinder and the cutting cylinder which results in a tearing of the sheet at the point where it is engaged by the pins.

lVhile these devices may vary somewhat in construction, they may include spring seated blocks 31, 32 similar to the blocks already described, these bloclrs being yieldingly mounted to accommodate products of varying number of plies, these blocks being arranged just in front of the pins or other sheet takingdevices and assisting the pins or other sheet taking devices to forward the web past the cutting points.

The tucking blade tucks the sheet. as before stated, in the bite of a pair of folding rolls 34., 35 from which the folded product may be delivered by the ordinary fly delivery 36 by which it may be piled on any suitable transferring device as tapes 87 for removing from the machine.

The operation of the mechanism will be clear from the description and drawings, but may be briefly stated as follows Referring first to Fig. 4 the end of the ply has been taken by the pins 14 and been advanced almost to the point where the pins are Withdrawn from the sheet the tucking blade not having yet come into action, and the sheet not having yet been severed from the web. In Fig. 5 the parts are shown a little further advanced. The sheet has now been cut from the web and the folding blade is just starting to fold off the sheet and the pins have been withdrawn. At this time the high part of the abutment roll is in contact with the blocks and the sheet is held firmly between the blocks and abutment roll and back slip of the sheet prevented. In Fig. (3 the parts are still further advanced, and the sheet has now been tucked into the nip of the folding rolls 34, and the high part 30 of the abutment roll is just running off the blocks, and Fig. 3 shows a continuation of the movement where the sheet has been nipped in the bite of the rolls and is free to be withdrawn thereby.

lVhile the invention has been shown and described in its preferred form, it will be understood that certain changes and variations may be made in the specific structure by which the invention is carried into effeet, and the invention is consequently not to be limited to the precise arrangement of the parts shown and described.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination of a rotary carrier, sheet taking devices thereon, a folding mechanism, acting to fold a sheet off the carrier, yielding friction devices on the carrier arranged behind the sheet taking devices, a co-operating abutment between which and said devices a sheet or sheets pass, said devices and abutment operating to prevent the sheet slipping on the cylinder after it has been released by the sheet taking devices and before it has been folded off by the folding mechanism.

2. The combination of a rotary carrier, sheet taking pins thereon, a folding mechanism acting to fold a sheet off the carrier, spring seated friction blocks on the carrier arranged behind the pins, and a rotary abutment co-operating with the blocks to hold a sheet or sheets therebetvveen after they have been released by the pins and before they are folded off by the folding mechanism.

3. The combination of a rotary carrier, sheet taking devices thereon, a folding mechanism acting to fold a sheet off the carrier, yielding friction devices on the carrier arranged behind the sheet taking devices, a co-operating abutment between which and said devices a sheet or sheets pass, a cutting cylinder co-operating with the carrier to sever a sheet, and yielding friction devices arranged on the carrier in front of the sheet taking devices to assist them in forwarding a sheet past the cutting point.

4. The combination of a rotary carrier, sheet taking devices thereon, a folding mechanism acting to fold a sheet off the carrier, spring seated friction blocks on the carrier arranged behind the pins, a rotary abutment co-operating with the blocks to hold a sheet therebetween after they have been released by the pins, a cutting cylinder co-operat-ing with the carrier to sever a sheet, and spring seated blocks arranged on the carrier in front of the pins to assist them in forwarding a sheet past the cutting point.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN J. HALLIWELL. 

